When it’s football season, one saying you often hear is, “Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.”
That is also true in sales. Offense — or outbound selling — gets new accounts, but defense keeps them producing revenue year after year.
What does playing a strong “defense” mean for a sales pro? It comes down to two broad concepts: being visible and bringing business value because both strengthen relationships.
Being Visible
Clients have needs, but they may not be frequent, and it is dangerously easy to get caught in “react when needed” mode — thinking all is good in the relationship because you respond to customer requests.
As a general assumption, assume 20% of your customers are 100% okay with this. The other 80% are satisfied, but they would like something better.
That brings me to this truth: Selling is about creating new revenue opportunities. It is not the same as servicing; it is proactive, not reactive.
To sell new solutions to current customers, they need to remember that you can help them when they are ready to solve a new problem, search for something better than they currently have, or fulfill a new need.
To be remembered, you must first be visible. This is relatively easy to accomplish with current clients. They are likely to read your emails, answer your calls, read your texts, agree to a meeting or lunch, open something you send them in the mail, or appreciate it when you like and comment on one of their social media posts.
So, review your account base. Figure out who hasn’t heard from you in the past 30 days and reach out. It is a simple but smart way to stay visible and defend your account base.
Bringing Business Value
It is easy to assume your clients will keep you in the loop and tell you what you need to know to meet their future needs. Maybe this is the case — if so, pat yourself on the back for having a proactive and loyal customer.
However, many clients don’t think it is their job to keep you informed. They talk with their boss and coworkers about new initiatives. Those conversations could positively impact your sales revenues— but only if they considered you as a potential partner.
To be considered, you need to bring business value on three levels and be well-perceived in two areas. First, you must be doing a good job handling current business. If the customer is 100% happy, you get new opportunities. If there are ongoing problems, you are less likely to be considered.
Second, the customer must see you as a source of new ideas. One excellent way to do this is by giving them an updated capabilities presentation. Read more about this in my previous post on using capabilities presentations, “Why is this Business-Building Golden Ticket So Underused?”
Another simple way to do this is by sharing stories. This could be as simple as presenting information to accompany a sample or as complex as a case study.
Research shows we are more likely to retain information shared in stories. A Harvard post reported research showing that people are 20 times more likely to remember facts if they’re told as part of a story.
With ChatGPT, it is easy for sales pros to create selling stories and demonstrate you can help clients achieve their business goals. If you haven’t tried creating a selling story using AI, try it.
Here is the basic information you need to build a prompt:
We produced a project for <define the type of client such as manufacturer or bank>.
The project’s purpose was <state the client’s purpose>.
The challenges we faced were <define challenges, such as a tight timeline, multiple production operations, etc.>.
Other factors that impacted the outcome were <list anything else that applies>.
The outcome was <state outcome>.
Include a positive statement about the overall project.
Buyers are curious about what others are doing and prefer stories to dry facts. Stories are easy to create with ChatGPT. Once you write your story, drop it into a simple Word document with a product picture and your logo. Or you could do something more elaborately designed if you have those skills or a support team. Whatever works for you.
Last Thoughts
Just like in football, where a strong defense is the backbone of a championship team, your ability to retain and grow existing accounts secures long-term success in sales. By consistently showing up and delivering real value, you protect your hard-earned wins and build lasting partnerships that drive sustained revenue. Winning the account is just the beginning; keeping and growing it sets you apart as a sales pro.
